| Toasted Seed Topping Explore the infinite possibilities of creating wonderful meals for all occasions with minimum effort and maximum fun. |
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The quickest and easiest way to change your life for the better is to add more salads. Forget the limp lettuce leaf and tomato fare. We’re talking rich green mesclun and brilliant flowers, wild herbs, fennel and orange with snow pea tendrils, bright peppers, brilliant Swiss chard and almonds – crunchy, delicious, a snap to make and brimming with phytonutrients to detoxify your body, protect from premature aging and energize your life.
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TOASTED SEED TOPPINGS
What You Need 1-1/2 cups of sesame, pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds
Here's How Heat a large, heavy, dry pan on the stove and lightly toast the seeds until they go a beautiful brown. Be careful not to overcook them. You can also toast them in the oven for 15 minutes at 150ºC (300ºF, Gas Mark 2). Be sure to stir them frequently. Then add the other ingredients while still warm and blend well. Sprinkle them liberally over warm vegetables or fresh salads. Other Ways To Go SEED POWDER: When you've finished toasting the seeds, grind them in a food processor or coffee grinder until fine, then add the other ingredients and blend well. This is good to add to soups, dressings, muesli – almost anything – for a crunchy, powdery finish. WILD ONES: Use only 1 cup of sesame seeds together with 1/2 cup of any of the following: fennel, celery, poppy, caraway, dill or cumin, to create intriguing exotic flavors. |
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Fresh seeds are a superb source of nourishment as well as flavoring. Pumpkin seeds are richer in zinc than any other plant – so important for good immunity, for growth, for wound healing and to make sure your sense of taste and smell works as it should. They are also a good source of iron, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and they boast a huge amount of fiber – 10 grams in each ounce of seeds – as well as some vitamin A. Sunflower seeds are a rich natural source of vitamin E and linoleic acid, both of which not only benefit the heart but help protect from premature aging and degeneration. They have anticancer and anti-ageing potential thanks to their beta-carotene content and they support the adrenals which helps enhance your ability to deal with stress. Eating only 30 grams of sunflower seeds a day will double most people’s vitamin E intake. One of the most delicious things you can do to contrast the light crunchiness of a fresh salad is to top it off with spiced, toasted seeds. The toasting brings out the flavor of seeds or nuts because it helps release the essential oils. You can add them to soups and cooked vegetable dishes. I use all sorts – celery seeds, poppy seeds, caraway, dill, cumin, as well as the more common sunflower, pumpkin and sesame. When you are buying any kind of seeds make sure that they are truly fresh, for too often they sit on shelves in stores too long and lose their healthy properties. Ideally they should be stored in a refrigerator. Equal parts of pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds mixed together provides an almost perfect combination of protein, essential fatty acids and other nutrients. Mix them, toast them, keep them and use them often. You can use immediately or cool, cover in a jar and store in the fridge for a week. |
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Wonderful life-giving foods, and information about what some of them can do to help prevent premature aging, protect you from degenerative conditions such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, enhance your mood, intensify your delight in love-making, even encourage sleep inspired me to write Cook Energy, for help for all of these things is to be found in delicious foods. Recipe This Week Archives |
